Even after 50 years, East Providence's Miller's Famous Sandwiches is still on a roll

EAST PROVIDENCE — Everyone loves a good story. They also love a good roast beef sandwich.

Miller's has both.

This East Providence sandwich shop is well-known, and beloved, among those who live and work in the city.

After 50 years, the third generation is now running Miller's. They want to expand their brand's popularity and grow Miller's Famous Sandwiches. They even made the delicate move a year and a half ago to change the name from what had been Miller's Roast Beef.

Any day of the week, you'll see a steady stream of customers in and out of the shop, which is on a busy corner of Warren Avenue. People run in to pick up the sandwiches they ordered online. Others meet up with a friend, order at the counter, and eat at a booth or the community table with old-fashioned stools.

"It's a hidden gem," said Gwen Graham, company president, who runs the business with husband Roger. His family founded Miller's.

"It's not your grandmother's roast beef," she said.

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Not only is it cooked medium rare each day — tender, moist and lean — it's less than 350 calories for a quarter pound of meat. Every sandwich is sliced to order.

Miller's makes more than just roast beef and French dip sandwiches. There's a popular Thanksgiving sandwich that has a quarter pound of roasted turkey, plus stuffing, cranberry and mayonnaise, and a side of gravy for dipping. There are also sandwiches with lean pastrami, corned beef, pulled pork, fried chicken, grilled cheese and ham sandwiches. Old-fashioned crinkle fries are a must-have.

The background and the Miller family tradition

Miller's was founded in 1972 by Henry and Ruby Miller, parents of five children.

"Henry had a good job, a corporate job, working for Electric Boat," said Graham. "He took a risk and walked away from the job."

He opened the sandwich shop in an old diner at 628 Warren Ave. He and his wife both worked there. She ran the deep fryer and made eggplant for sandwiches.

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They were not chefs, but had a passion for entrepreneurship. They imagined there was more for them than working for someone else.

"They believed that sandwiches were something everyone could relate to," Graham said. "It's a food everyone likes."

The Millers, who still live near the East Providence restaurant, retired in 1986. They sold the business to one of their daughters, Ruth, and her husband, Roger Graham.

In 2006, their son Roger and wife Gwen got involved in the business. He was in IT while she was an accountant, in information systems, with a master's degree in teaching. Now they run the business as their full-time jobs.

In 2010, the pair opened a second Miller's in Attleboro at 734 Newport Ave..

The sandwiches: It's all about the beef

Miller's is a warm sandwich concept. There's not a cold sandwich on the menu.

All are warmed on bread that has been hand-buttered and grilled. They use bread from Homestead Baking in Rumford, makers of Mrs. Kavanuagh's English muffins, including rolls, rye and ciabatta. Martin’s Potato Rolls are for large sandwiches.

It's all about the beef. Certified Angus beef is slow-roasted overnight, every night, to a perfect medium rare. Graham explained they use a "cook and hold technology" with the roast beef held in a warmer.

"It breaks down the meat so it becomes quite tender," she said. "Nothing is done in a fast-food mentality."

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There is a 3- to 3?-minute turnaround time after a customer chooses their sandwich, toppings, cheese and any special sauce. They bottle their BBQ sauce for sale. They also make horseradish as their classic sauce and townie sauce, a newish chipotle aioli.

Miller's uses a number system to make it easy to identify each sandwich in your to-go bag. Numbers on the receipt correspond to meals in the bag.

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Miller’s cooks 12,000 pounds of roast beef each month. They sell more than 8,000 sandwiches east week.

The Beast roast beef sandwich is half a pound of meat ($12.59) while the regular size has four ounces ($6.59). The medium is 6 ounces ($8.59).

French dip ($11.29) is served on ciabatta. Pastrami can be had on rye ($6.79). Grilled cheese ($2.99) can be ordered with choice of cheese.

"If we have to increase prices, we do," Graham said. "We won’t make a smaller portion."

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Miller's was already on delivery platforms in March 2020. Customers could do online ordering.

Still, Graham sat in her kitchen and said, "What are we going to do?

"It was scary. Was this going to change the future for us and our staff?" she asked.

They added handheld technology that allowed Miller's to take orders in the parking lot and have no one but staff in the restaurant. Graham said there were no layoffs for the 25 to 30 staff at each of their two restaurants. They never stopped advertising promotions.

They have a system that they are always hiring so they are not understaffed, even now.

In fact, it's crowded there behind the counter and in the kitchen. They over-staff between noon and 3 p.m. for the lunch rush to keep the service consistent at all times of day.

After 50 years, what's in the future?

With the two restaurants, the Grahams are thinking about growth. Miller’s intends to expand its footprint selling franchises. Gwen Graham hopes to see five to seven restaurants open up over the next few years, from the Northeast down to Florida.

"We thought long and hard about it," she said. "Franchising means the new owners will be invested."

To this point, Miller's is set up to be run by managers. Graham said they are system- driven business and they know how to support what will be needed by franchisee buyers.

She said there's been interest in opening Miller's in Fall River and the Dartmouth area as well as in markets in New York and Boston. To protect the brand, they will proceed carefully, she said.

The initial investment range for a Miller’s restaurant Includes a franchise fee of $40,000 and build-out costs between $396,000 and $818,000, she said. A typical franchise location will have 1,500 to 2,200 square feet and is located in a strip mall or shopping center. The design will be modeled on the original.

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Graham is not worried about the Jersey Mike's franchises that have been moving into New England.

"There is enough business to go around for everyone," she said. "We are just another choice for dining out."

When Chick-fil-A moved into Attleboro up the road from Miller's, she wondered what would happen. "Our sales have not declined," she said.

The legacy

For those who grew up on Miller's, it is their first stop when they come home to visit, get back from a trip, or are released from a hospital after an illness, said Graham.

"We often have people waiting in our parking lot when we open at 10:30," she said.

But her favorite example of Miller's as a taste of Rhode Island is something she sees.

Customers have routines for how they open their sandwiches in the restaurant and take their first bite, she said.

"I never grow tired of seeing that joy," she said.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: East Providence's Miller's Famous Sandwiches celebrates 50 years